Chapter 21 – Paper Man 20
Luo Father had easily bought off the person with money, achieving his desired outcome. The other party showed no hesitation whatsoever, proving their complete greed and shamelessness. Luo Father treated Su Tang like an insignificant ant, casting him aside as soon as he turned away to focus on nurturing his favored younger son.
But two days later, he was shocked to see Su Tang again at the headquarters, walking arm-in-arm with Luo Yuan, both wearing radiant smiles.
Luo Father’s face darkened. “What are you still doing here?”
Su Tang remained unfazed, even adopting a modest smile befitting a junior. “Ah, Chairman Luo. You know, I really have no choice. Luo Yuan’s already given me over five million in allowance. Wouldn’t leaving now be a huge loss? Here’s a deal—since we’ve done business before, I’ll offer you a discount. How about two hundred million?”
Luo Father’s finger trembled in fury, nearly pointing at the sky. This… this… Such brazen shamelessness was unprecedented!
Noticing the streaks of white in Luo Father’s hair, Su Tang quickly soothed him. “Chairman Luo, calm down. If you find it too expensive, I’ll lower the price… How about five yuan off?”
What kind of discount is that? Are you a Lamborghini coupon?!
Luo Father was so enraged he could hardly speak. His life of glorious self-assurance had never been subjected to such humiliation and mockery. He nearly lunged forward to kill Su Tang.
Yet Luo Yuan—the eldest son who had always been cautious and desperate for his father’s love, who had always acquiesced to his every demand—now stood with a cold expression, clearly protecting Su Tang at his side, openly defying him.
Luo Father laughed bitterly, jabbing his finger at Luo Yuan’s nose as he bellowed, “Excellent! Absolutely excellent! Luo Yuan, you’ve truly disappointed me beyond measure. I’ll pretend I never had a son like you! Do whatever you want—I don’t care anymore!”
A flicker of darkness crossed Luo Yuan’s eyes. Though he maintained his mature, composed facade, his father’s cruel words still wounded him.
Of course, Luo Father didn’t truly intend to sever their father-son bond. He still needed Luo Yuan to manage the company, assist Luo Chen, and secure the marriage alliance. He knew Luo Yuan’s temperament well—past attempts at this harsh approach had always pricked his son into compliance. The tactic had never failed before.
Having delivered his words, Luo Father stormed away with a frosty face, waiting for his son to come crawling back and apologize as usual. But in his haste, he failed to notice Luo Yuan’s impassive expression behind him—unfazed by the threat. These cutting words had been thrust into his heart so many times that it had become a sieve of scars. Now devoid of hope, he had abandoned the effort. He would no longer care about Luo Father’s approval, nor would he seek his love.
Seeing Luo Yuan’s wounded expression, Su Tang’s heart ached. He felt a surge of resentment toward Luo Father, that despicable parent with a bias so extreme it could pierce through the universe. “Old man, you yap like a broken record. What’s the point of all that blabber? If you’ve got nothing better to do than whine, why don’t you focus on your health? With that beer belly and receding hairline, even bitter gourd looks smoother than you. And you’re cutting ties with your son? Bless you for that! Any son stuck with a scum dad like you is cursed for eight generations. The sooner you’re gone, the better! You want me to leave? Ha! I’m staying here to spend a lifetime with Luo Yuan. I’ll watch you choke on your own bile before I send you to the grave!”
Luo Father had already entered the elevator when he heard this volcanic eruption of insults. The doors closed before he could retaliate, leaving him seething with frustration, so angry he could spit blood.
Luo Yuan was accustomed to his father’s dismissive attitude. But now he witnessed Su Tang defending him with such ferocity—a side of his lover he’d never seen before. Though fierce, Su Tang remained undeniably adorable. Luo Yuan felt as if his heart were submerged in warm spring water, radiating comfort.
Under Luo Yuan’s astonished gaze, Su Tang’s composure cracked. Like a child caught red-handed, he darted his eyes around before adopting an innocent expression.
Worried about Luo Yuan’s mood, Su Tang hesitated before offering comfort. “Your father went too far. It’s not your fault. You’re such a good person—his favoritism is just blindness. Children can’t choose their parents, and we should honor those who raised us. But that doesn’t mean parents can use their position to hurt their children however they please. People treat each other as they’re treated. How parents treat their children is how children will treat their parents. You can repay your father’s kindness, but you don’t have to obey everything he says. Luo Yuan… Have you ever considered starting your own business outside? You have the ability.”
Luo Yuan listened quietly to these heartfelt words, accepting them without argument. He smiled faintly but changed the subject. “Earlier, you said you’d stay by my side forever. Do you mean it?”
Su Tang froze, remembering Luo Yuan’s provocation of Luo Father. He nodded. “Of course. Why would I lie?”
The smile at Luo Yuan’s lips deepened, his mood visibly lifted.
[ System: Task completion 70/100. Host, keep up the good work. ]
Su Tang startled at the reminder, somewhat confused. Did his words have that much impact? Because Luo Yuan lacked security, Su Tang’s promise not to leave him had healed him?
Regardless of the circumstances, Luo Yuan’s ability to let go and not dwell on his scum of a father was undoubtedly a positive trait.
Back in the office.
Luo Yuan ruffled his hair and suddenly said with a smile, “Tangtang, how did you know I wasn’t already starting my own company?”
Su Tang blinked, his eyes lighting up with sudden realization. He turned to look at Luo Yuan with excitement, “Really? How far have you progressed? When can we leave here and go to your new company?”
His expression, eager to pack up and leave immediately, was both adorable and endearing.
Luo Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle at the use of “we,” which subconsciously grouped him and Su Tang together. Feeling quite satisfied, he replied, “Soon. I don’t like it here either.”
Su Tang cheered and bounced twice, clearly more excited than Luo Yuan. This was understandable; Su Tang knew the plot. He understood that no matter how well he performed here, it would only pave the way for the male lead, ultimately leading to a tragic end. Better to establish his own path and distance himself, avoiding the protagonist’s halo effect as much as possible.
Two days later, the file-stealing scenario Su Tang had been guarding against finally arrived.
Su Tang had long been prepared, having already coordinated with the System about how to handle it. Normally, company project documents were classified, not accessible to a mere intern, let alone someone who could copy them privately. But Chen Yingying was the female lead, blessed with the protagonist’s halo.
Su Tang had considered replacing the data location first, so Chen Yingying would copy fake files instead. But according to the system, the protagonist was the “Daughter of Destiny,” naturally blessed with unexpected assistance. Therefore, it was best to resolve the issue on the spot.
This meant he’d have to switch the data while Chen Yingying was copying it.
“…Tongtong, you’re overestimating me,” Su Tang said. “Do I look like a high-level hacker?”
“But the host can enter the computer,” the system replied.
Su Tang was bewildered. “…?”
“Has the host forgotten their true identity?” the system asked.
True identity? Su Tang’s mind immediately went wild. His chuunibyou spirit flared up—could there be some secret he didn’t know about? Was he actually a sealed demon king, destined to be a savior or something?
“You’re a paper person!” the system declared.
“…Right.” Su Tang felt a twinge of disappointment.
So, when Chen Yingying snuck into Luo Yuan’s office while no one was around, nervously searching for the files she needed to copy, Su Tang was hiding on the computer desktop like a tiny figure playing a real-life version of a box-pushing and hide-and-seek game combined.
Between the folders, there was a secret passage. He could instantly travel from one place to another, his short legs moving rapidly as he ran. He threw the fake files into the USB drive area Chen Yingying had brought, then dragged back what she was trying to copy. Holding the box, he bounced back happily.
On the computer, Su Tang was still like a three-headed character in a dating sim game—small and easily hidden behind any window. Once Chen Yingying finished copying and closed all windows, he would zoom behind the desktop icons, crouching in a tight ball, perfectly playing hide-and-seek.
After Chen Yingying left, Su Tang used the system-generated light screen to return to the real world. But just as he stood still, he heard movement at the door. Scared that Chen Yingying might have come back, he reflexively dove under the table.
The footsteps approached, and a pair of long legs appeared in front of him, along with familiar designer shoes.
It was Luo Yuan.
Su Tang let out a sigh of relief. He was about to crawl out when he suddenly froze. How could he explain why he was hiding here? Well, let’s just wait for now. It’s almost time for lunch anyway.
Su Tang pulled back the jiojio he had just extended, hugged his knees, and obediently waited for the person to leave.
As soon as Luo Yuan sat down, he buried himself in work again. Sometimes his foot would twitch unconsciously, startling Su Tang into hastily retreating, afraid of being touched.
After a while, Su Tang heard Luo Yuan call to have food delivered from a restaurant, ordering today’s meal. Luo Yuan had his favorite places to eat, and Su Tang naturally ate with him, enjoying the delicious food.
When he heard Luo Yuan forget to add the dessert Su Tang wanted, he couldn’t help but jump up and bump the table. “Don’t forget the strawberry tart!”
Luo Yuan jumped in surprise, finally noticing the person hiding under the table. “What are you doing under there?”
Now that he’d been found out, Su Tang stopped hiding. He rested his paws on Luo Yuan’s knees, using the momentum to push himself up as he smiled. “I was trying to scare you! Did it work?”
Luo Yuan pulled him out, smiling helplessly as he brushed the dust off Su Tang’s clothes.
Despite such circumstances, Luo Yuan never once suspected Su Tang of anything. As the CEO of a major corporation, this was rather unusual, but it clearly demonstrated the extraordinary level of trust he placed in Su Tang.
Without reason or logic, yet he was absolutely certain that Su Tang would never betray him.
Author’s Note:
Su Tang: “Leave with two hundred million? What a sweet deal!”
Luo Father: “I see you’re thinking about peaches!”
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